keeping up humidity in southern california or any dry area

[knuklez]

i have a panther chameleon and its really dry over here in california. we've had nice humidity for the winter season but we experienced a hot day today and my humidity in the cage went to 25-30%.
it just worries me for the summer months to come when humidity is very very low.
only ways im raising humidity is
1. misting constantly
2. 2 live plants (umbrella plants)
3. shower curtains around enclosure
i can get it up to like 40% right after i mist but thats it

any advice for people in southern caifronia or any other dry area?
like tips on how to keep the humidity up.

 

[theintouchable88]

Where in cali? I'm from Los Angeles and my humidity stays in the high 50s 60s mostly and high 80s low 90s after misting. I have 2 sides covered with shower curtain cutouts. I do leave my windows closed and only open them when I get home to get fresh air but even then it's in the 50s. I have a schefflera that covers the whole cage and a pothos in the corner. They retain water well and my misting goes off every 3-4 hours from 4 minutes to 3.5 to 3 to 2 on the last one. How big is your cage and how big are the plants?

 

[Decadancin]

You may want to make sure your hygrometer is working properly. I use two just to make sure.

 

[listen2justin]

I live in Anaheim and as @theintouchable88 said the humidity doesn't drop below 50-60s. when i was first getting started i went to my local reptile shop and i remember them telling me that people always panic about humidity but in socal, the humidity we walk around in is in the 60s. i was kinda skeptic after hearing that, but now i realize they weren't too far off. if you have an analog hygrometer, like me, i think those are off. that's why i'm looking for a digital one. also more plants definitely help raise humidity. i recommend a pothos plant, it helps my cage a lot. the more leaves and the more dense your enclosure is, the more humidity it'll hold.

 

[theintouchable88]

I meant they stay in the high60s not 50s lol I have a digital hydrometer/thermometer I got from amazon for like $10 and seems to be ok temperature wise when compared to my temp gun. I didn't buy a analog because they do seem to be off quiet a bit. I don't have away to second check the humidity but when I was setting up my cage before I got my Cham it stayed in the high 60s and right now that I got home fromwork it's outside the cage and it's 67. I didn't know we walked around 60s lol seems like it's way more dry

I live in Anaheim and as @theintouchable88 said the humidity doesn't drop below 50-60s. when i was first getting started i went to my local reptile shop and i remember them telling me that people always panic about humidity but in socal, the humidity we walk around in is in the 60s. i was kinda skeptic after hearing that, but now i realize they weren't too far off. if you have an analog hygrometer, like me, i think those are off. that's why i'm looking for a digital one. also more plants definitely help raise humidity. i recommend a pothos plant, it helps my cage a lot. the more leaves and the more dense your enclosure is, the more humidity it'll hold.

 

[jajeanpierre]

@knuklez I suspect your humidity gauge doesn't work.

 

[listen2justin]

I meant they stay in the high60s not 50s lol I have a digital hydrometer/thermometer I got from amazon for like $10 and seems to be ok temperature wise when compared to my temp gun. I didn't buy a analog because they do seem to be off quiet a bit. I don't have away to second check the humidity but when I was setting up my cage before I got my Cham it stayed in the high 60s and right now that I got home fromwork it's outside the cage and it's 67. I didn't know we walked around 60s lol seems like it's way more dry

yah i got what you meant... i meant the same thing. lol. the rest of my post was meant for @knuklez. but i have seen those $10 hydro/thermometers on amazon and was thinking about getting one of those. yah i was surprised too when i was told we walked around in the 60s, that's why i didn't believe it at first. lol. but now i get it.

 

[Bmart]

I live in Los Angeles and totally agree. the humidity outside is already fine unless its really dry (which will probably happen during summer) I always used to worry about humidity setting so much that i got the digital
Hygrostat/Thermometer HT-24 from mistking. big mistake because that prob sensor is very sensitive and wouldn't stop misting until my cage was at the set desired humidity temperature...(anyone else use this type of timer before from mistking?) anyways what I'am trying to get at is just misting your cage a few times a day is good enough and will help sustain the humidity. keeping the doors and windows closed also helps, but i open them when i get home because i am home and can keep an eye on everything. my Panther gets sprayed at 3 hour intervals for about 30 seconds, and that gets the cage and plants dripping wet. If you take your Chameleon out of the cage and let him roam like i do every day and it feels dry, then just limit his time outside and also give him a few seconds of misting. the best advise i can say is monitor you Chams body language and his surroundings.

 

[JacksJill]

The humidity drops as you get away from the coast. Folks living inland get a lot less marine influence than people in the coastal areas. Today our humidity is only 20% near the coast. If your hygrometer really is working then adding more plants and misting times and watering the pots more will help. Keep the house closed up for today. The rest of the week is back to ~60% tomorrow.

 

[ChameleonClem]

A fogging machine in combination with your misting? It might help. Theres alot of diy ways to make a fogging machine for cheap from a air humidifier for people.

 

[JacksJill]

That reminds me you can just keep your indoor/room humidity up with a humidifier in the 40-50% range. Easier to keep your cage % higher that way and easier on your sinuses.

 

[knuklez]

Thanks all for the replies. Turns out my hydrogmeter from Walmart wasn't giving the correct numbers. I got another one and it's was like 40% off. My old one was reading 35% at one point and my new one was showing 75%